Plant a
tree, appreciate what we have
By Will
Collette
Today,
April 27, is National Arbor Day, a day for those of us who live in
Charlestown to celebrate our beautiful town, made special not just by our
beaches, salt ponds and freshwater streams, ponds and lakes, but also by our
abundant woodlands.
We all
have different points of view about how to best preserve the beauty and natural
abundance we have here, but I think we can all agree that what we have does
indeed need to be preserved – not just for its own sake, but for the benefit of
all.
When I work in my home office, cranking out stuff for
Progressive Charlestown, I look out at the towering oaks that fill my window
view.
Because of our mild winter and early spring, the oaks are
now in full bloom, with each tree filled with buds that will soon become
leaves. My fruit trees are blooming and my newly planted trees are setting well.
Birds are in great abundance this spring and our trees are
filled with finches, titmice, cardinals, woodpeckers, sparrows, doves,
cowbirds, catbirds and crows. It's a great time of year!
Well, here I am, going all soft and gooey about trees and
birds instead of writing edgy political analysis and commentary. But in Charlestown , land use is
political issue #1.
There are some who believe that to be a true environmentalist,
you must be dedicated, heart and soul, to conservation. I am an
environmentalist, always have been, and I am dedicated to conservation, heart
and soul. But there is more to being an environmentalist than just conservation. There is more to
being a conservationist than only
expanding open space.
I am of the breed of environmentalist who believes that
people are part of the environment and there must be a place for people to live
with, enjoy and make judicious use of our environment.
But today, on Arbor Day, let’s just try to see both the forest and the trees.